“I am super surprised and humbled at this announcement,” said Klein. “Hands down my supervision and everyone that I have worked with on my flight and on the various teams I have led or been a part of led to this award.”

His commander attributes his success to leading with confidence, competence and compassion.

“Master Sgt. Klein sets the example for his fellow Airmen of all ranks by embodying the Air Force core values,” said Lt. Col. Nicholas Petren, 90 SFS commander. “He is an outstanding performer in his primary duties, is involved in the community and strives for self-improvement.”

The commander continued, “He led the [90th Security Forces Group] professional team of the quarter twice, performed flawlessly as the flight sergeant during a MAJCOM [inspection], helped plan and execute training active shooter response training with the U.S. Marshall Service and stood up a Profession of Arms Center of Excellence course within the 90 SFG. He completed all this while stepping up to fill in as the acting first sergeant, earning his bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and completing 34 hours of national crisis counselor training.”

Klein also shared some lessons with Airmen. He states a leader should try their best every day to improve, listen to those that have been there and be approachable. When supervising, always be the supervisor you would want.

“I feel it is key to treat your Airmen the way you would want to be treated if you were in their situation,” Klein said.

Klein shares some final thoughts for future defenders.

“Work hard and learn all you can about whatever it is that you are doing,” Klein said. “Most things that go wrong can be attributed to either lack of knowledge or lack of effort. To be successful, combine knowledge and effort.”

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